 Donovan Bailey in Cologne, 1997 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Jamaican-Canadian |
| Born | Donovan Anthony Bailey (1967-12-16)December 16, 1967 (age 57) |
| Height | 185 cm (6 ft 1 in) |
| Weight | 90 kg (198 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Running |
Event(s) | 50 metres,60 metres,100 metres,150 metres,200 metres |
Medal record | |
Donovan BaileyOC[1]OOnt[2] (born December 16, 1967) is aJamaican-Canadian retired sprinter. He once held theworld record for the100 metres. He recorded a time of 9.84 seconds to become Olympic champion in1996. He was the first Canadian tolegally break the10-second barrier in the 100 m. Particularly noted for his top speed, Bailey ran 12.10 m/s (43.6 km/h; 27.1 mph) in his 1996 Olympic title run, the fastest ever recorded by a human at the time.[3] He was inducted intoCanada's Sports Hall of Fame in 2004 as an individual athlete and in 2008 as part of the 1996 Summer Olympics 4 × 100 relay team.[4] In 2005, he was also inducted into theOntario Sports Hall of Fame.[5]
Donovan Anthony Bailey was born inManchester Parish,Jamaica, on December 16, 1967, as the fourth of five sons to George and Daisy Bailey.[2] Before going toMount Olivet Primary School, he would take care of his family'schickens,goats, andpigs.[2] Donovan was fast when he was a young boy, with his former teacher Claris Lambert recounting that "He showed his athletic skills from grade one. He always came first in races."[2]
Before going to Canada, Bailey competed for one year at ISSA Champs forKnox College in Manchester, Jamaica.[6]
Bailey immigrated to Canada at age 12 and played basketball before graduating from Queen Elizabeth Park High School inOakville, Ontario.[2] During high school, his brother, O'Neil, won 4Ontario Provincial titles in the long jump. Bailey was exceptionally fast as well, clocking 10.65 seconds in the 100 m at the age of 16. However, his main interest was in basketball. After graduating in June 1984, Bailey attendedSheridan College, for which he played basketball during the 1986–1987 school year. He graduated from Sheridan with a degree in Business Administration. Bailey then began working as a property and marketing consultant for an importing and exporting clothing company.[7]
It was only in 1990 that Bailey decided to begin racing professionally; after watching the 1990Canadian Track and Field Championships, he realized that most of the men competing were men he had beaten in high school. He began training as a 100 msprinter part-time, while working as a stockbroker. In 1991, he won the 60 metres at theOntario Indoor Championships, and at the1991 Pan American Games inHavana, Cuba, Bailey anchored Canada's4 × 100 metres relay team, to a silver medal. In 1992, Bailey finished second in the 100 m at the national championships.[7]
From 1993 to 1994, he competed forFenerbahçe Athletics.[8] During this time, he claimed a bronze in the 100 m and a silver in the 200 m at the 1993 national championships, a silver in the 100 m and gold in the 4 × 100 metres at the1994 Francophone Games inParis, and a gold medal in the4 × 100 m at the1994 Commonwealth Games inVictoria, British Columbia.[7] However, despite his impressive performances at a national level, he was only chosen as an alternate for the4 × 100 m at the1993 World Championships inStuttgart. American coachDan Pfaff, who coached Bailey's high school friendGlenroy Gilbert atLouisiana State University and listened to Bailey's complaints, was impressed by Bailey's performances considering his terrible form and fitness. Pfaff invited Bailey to train with him and Gilbert at LSU, and with just 3 months of training together, Bailey shaved 3 tenths of a second off of his 100 m personal best; his time of 10.03 seconds was the third fastest in Canadian history.[9]
On April 22, 1995, Bailey made history by breaking the10-second barrier for the first time in the 100 m, becoming the 18th man and 2nd Canadian to legally do so. His time of 9.99 seconds was just 4 hundredths shy ofBen Johnson's record of 9.95.[7] In July, he broke Johnson's record with 9.91 at the national championships, the fastest time of the year, effectively asserting his name as a favorite for the gold medal at theWorld Championships inGothenburg later that year. Bailey went on to win the title in 9.97 seconds, then followed it up by anchoring Canada to their first world championship gold in the4 × 100 m.
With a world title now under his belt, Bailey was highly considered to be a favorite for the Olympic title inAtlanta that July. As a precursor to the centennial Olympics, Bailey broke the indoor 50 m world record during a competition inReno, Nevada in 1996. He was timed at 5.56 seconds.Maurice Greene later matched that performance in 1999, but his run was never ratified as a world record.
Bailey was officially selected to representCanada at the 1996 Summer Olympics after winning his 3rd consecutive national title in the 100 m. On July 27, after a very disrupted start to the race, Bailey won theOlympic 100 m title setting a new world record of 9.84 seconds. During the race, he hit a top speed of 12.10 m/s (43.6 km/h or 27.1 mph), which was the fastest top speed ever recorded by a human being at the time. Many Canadians felt Bailey's victory restored the image of Canadian athletes, after the exposure ofBen Johnson's history of doping. At the time, Bailey was only the second person after Carl Lewis to hold all the major titles in the 100 m concurrently (World Champion, Olympic Champion & World Record Holder). 6 days later, he completed the 100 m/4 × 100 m double once again, anchoring Canada to their first everOlympic4 × 100 m title in a national record of 37.69 seconds.
After the end of the1996 Summer Olympics, AmericanSportscasterBob Costas claimed that 200 m Gold medalistMichael Johnson was faster than Bailey because Johnson's 200 m time (19.32 Seconds) divided by 2 (9.66 Seconds) was shorter than Bailey's 100 m time (9.84).[10] This started a debate on whether Johnson or Bailey was the real "World's Fastest Man", which in turn resulted in a150m race between the two, in which Bailey won after Johnson allegedly injured hishamstring.[11]
At the1997 World Championships inAthens, Bailey attempted to defend his 100 m title, but was beaten byMaurice Greene and was forced to settle for the silver medal in 9.91 seconds. However, along with his Canadian teammates, he was able to defend Canada's4 × 100 m title in 37.86 seconds, the fastest time of the year. One of his last meets of the season was at theISTAF Berlin; after finishing 2nd in the 100 m, Bailey ran the first leg of the "Dream Team II" in the4 × 100 m relay:Carl Lewis' last race of his career. WithLeroy Burrell on the 2nd leg,Frankie Fredericks on the 3rd, and Lewis on the anchor, the team won in 38.24 seconds, a meeting record.
Bailey and the 4 × 100 metre Canadian relay team won a silver medal with a time of 38.23 at the1998 Goodwill Games inNew York, finishing behind the United States. Bailey ruptured his Achilles tendon while playing basketball during the post season of 1998, which effectively began the end of his athletics career.
Bailey won a silver medal with the Canadian 4 × 100 metre relay team with a time of 38.49 at the1999 Pan American Games inWinnipeg, finishing behind Brazil. The silver medal matched his first international medal he won eight years earlier at the 1991 Pan American Games in the 4 × 100 metre relay and it would be his final international medal. Bailey was part of the Canadian 4 × 100 metre relay team at the1999 World Championships inSeville but the team was disqualified in the first round of heats.
He made a second attempt in the2000 Summer Olympics, but suffered frompneumonia and dropped out during the rounds. He retired from the sport in 2001 after theWorld Championships inEdmonton, having been a three-time World and 2 time Olympic champion.[12]
After racing, Bailey started his own company called DBX Sport Management which helps amateur athletes find a way to promote themselves. He also started a sport injury clinic in Oakville, Ontario.
He has been inducted intoCanada's Sports Hall of Fame twice: in 2004 as an individual, and in 2008 as part of the 1996 Summer Olympics 4 × 100 relay team.[13]
In August 2008 Bailey began work as a track commentator forCBC Television at the2008 Summer Olympics.[14] He estimated that hadUsain Bolt not slowed down near the end of the 100 m dash (which he still won in record time), he could have set a time of 9.55 seconds.[15] He returned as the track analyst for CBC's coverage of the2016 Summer Olympics.[16]
In 2010, Bailey was one of the recipients of the Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards presented byCanadian Immigrant Magazine.[17]
In 2014, Bailey pleaded guilty to a drinking and driving charge from 2012. This was the third driving-related incident for Bailey. In 1998 he crashed his car into a concrete utility pole and was fined $200 for failing to report an accident. In 2001, Bailey was fined $975 for driving 200 km/h on a 100 km/h road in Toronto.[18]
In 2016, he was made a member of theOrder of Ontario.[19] In 2017,Canada's Walk of Fame honoured him with a star.[20][21][22]
In 2018, it was reported that Bailey had provided his entire athlete's trust of $3.75 million toAird & Berlis lawyer Stuart Bollefer, who invested it in what was determined to be a tax evasion scheme by the Canadian government. Bailey lost the full amount due to the scheme, however the courts ordered Aird & Berlis to pay all outstanding taxes due to their negligence.[23]
In 2022, Bailey was named an officer to theOrder of Canada.[1]
| Event | Time (seconds) | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 metres | 5.56 | Reno, Nevada, United States | February 9, 1996 |
| 60 metres | 6.51 | Maebashi, Gunma, Japan | February 8, 1997 |
| 100 metres | 9.84 (1996–1999) (1996–2008) | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | July 27, 1996 |
| 150 meters | 14.99 | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | June 1, 1997 |
| 200 metres | 20.14 | Bislett Games Oslo, (NOR) | July 4, 1997 |
As of 9 September 2024, Bailey holds the following track records for100 metres.
| Location | Time | Windspeed m/s | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abbotsford, BC | 9.97 | +2.2 | 02/06/1996 |
| Atlanta, GA | 9.84 PB | +0.7 | 27/07/1996 |
| Burnaby, BC | 9.99 | 0.0 | 18/05/1997 |
| Cologne | 9.99 | –0.7 | 24/08/1997 |
| Duisburg | 9.88 | +4.0 | 12/06/1996 |
| Gothenburg | 9.97 | +1.0 | 06/08/1995 |
| Ottawa | 10.05 | +1.8 | 30/06/1994 |
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Commonwealth Games champions in men's4 × 100 metres relay | |
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| 4 × 110 yards (1930–1966) |
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| 4 × 100 metres (1970–present) |
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